Desmond George Humphreys
| First name | Desmond George |
|---|---|
| Last name | Humphreys |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | 9/29/2025 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1929 |
| Submitted by | Martin Humphreys |
Story
Desmond George Humphreys was born on 29 September 1925 at Henley on Thames in England.
He arrived in Fremantle on 15 October 1929 aboard the SS Otranto as he had been sent to Australia for a better life. He lived with Sydney and Eleanor (Nell) Brookes, who were his uncle and aunty, and their daughter Marjorie.
During his early life he developed a passion for Australian Rules Football and at the age of 14 had to decide whether he would continue with football or follow Syd and become a barber. Through his love and sense of duty he followed Syd and became a very successful and professional barber on High Street in Fremantle.
His sense of duty continued because when the Second Word War came around Des joined the Royal Australian Air Force and spent time in the north-west of Australia working on the radar stations that protected the coastline.
After the war Des met Emma Mary Harvey (1927) who was a descendent of an original West Australian, Susanah Maydwell who had arrived aboard the Calista in 1829. After some time they married on 29 July 1950. Many years of hard work saw them living in the house they built in East Fremantle. Once they were well established they had two children Ð Desmond Martin (1957) and Gregory Thomas (1959).
When Syd Brookes retired he passed the Barbers Shop on to Des but the 1960s arrived and along with rock and roll came long hair for males. Being an astute businessman Des could see that barbers were going to find it difficult to make a living so in 1962 he became the Newsagent and Post Master at Mount Pleasant. From here he began to instil his work ethic and sense of family values into his growing children. The newsagency was a family business and the newspapers had to get out at any cost. When a family member was unwell he often told them ‘You can be sick after we finish the papers’ and he did the same. He was a well known figure in Mount Pleasant and remembered for his beloved Blue and White (East Fremantle Football Club) beanie which he wore on cold wet winter mornings. It become one of the largest newsagencies in Western Australia and at one time he was delivering over 2 000 newspapers to Mount Pleasant, Brentwood, Booragoon, Bull Creek, Bateman and Leeming in a morning. From here he also opened the Newsagency and Post Office in the Bull Creek Shopping Centre.
In 1992 he was forced into retirement because he had to undergo open heart surgery.
Until this time he had not missed a day\’s work and he had not had a holiday since 1962 but was very thankful of Good Friday, Christmas and the occasional printers or transport strike because it meant one of those rare mornings to sleep in.
During his time in business he employed many people and through his kindness, generosity and sense of fun he developed strong bonds with many people and he influenced their futures in profound ways. He employed many paperboys to deliver the afternoon Daily News and he took on some of the roughest and toughest boys from the area and without exception was able to see good in them.
He was a generous person who helped many people Ð sometimes being ‘taken’ due to his unwavering sense of faith in the goodness of humanity. At the same time he was a bit of a larrikin and liked to do things his way.
In 1999 Des suffered a stroke but through his grit and determination he was able to make a reasonable recovery. In 2000 further surgery was needed for cancer was but his body was tired. His mind was still very sharp and his strong will was evident up until the last hours of his life. He astounded the doctors and nurses but on 4 November 2000 he passed away due to complications associated with his emphysema.
He was married to Emma for 50 years and when asked his philosophy of a good marriage often said it was ‘Yes Dear’. Despite saying this there was no doubt that he was in charge of the partnership!
He was survived by his wife Emma, his sons Martin (his wife Linda and their daughter Celeste) and Greg (and his children Daniel, Kristen and Cameron).
Des Humphreys came as a child migrant but his life made an enormous difference to many Australians.